Dynamic model of a compliant link with large deflection and shear deformation

The dynamic model for links in most mechanisms has often based on small deflection theory without considering shear deformation. For applications like light-weight links or high-precision elements, it is necessary to capture the deflection caused by shear forces. A complete dynamic model is presented here to characterize the motion of a compliant link capable of large deflection with shear deformation. We derive the governing equations from Hamilton's principle along with the essential geometric constraints that relate deformation and coordinate variables, and solve them using a semi-discrete method based on the Newmark scheme and shooting method that avoids the problem of shear locking that occurs when using finite element method. The dynamic model has been validated experimentally. We expect that the dynamic model will serve as a basis for analyzing a wide spectrum of compliant multi-link mechanisms.